29 Dec 2002
The month is almost over and I haven’t written anything here for quite
some time. Part of the reason is that I was in South Dakota for five
days. The other part of the reason is that I haven’t had much to say
of late. The holidays have a somewhat dulling effect on cynicism,
sarcasm, and anger. Since much of what I write is fueled by one or
more of those emotions, the lack of such sometimes leaves me without
interesting things to write.The drive to South Dakota from our home in Madison, WI probably takes
about eight to eight and one-half hours. Sarah’s Saturn is reliable,
but certainly not built for speed. Driving 75mph in South Dakota we
got 24mpg. Driving 70mph in Minnesota and Wisconsin we got
32mpg. Also, the lack of traffic in Minnesota and South Dakota on
Interstates 29 and 90 was a refreshing change from driving Interstate 880 in
Oakland and Interstate 80 in Berkeley (or San Francisco, for that
matter). We would joke about the heavy traffic on Interstate 29 if
there were two other cars in our lane either in front of us or behind
us.
Ira has finally given up on the idea of hibernation. We originally
planned on hibernating him in the fridge this year, but his weight was a bit
lower than I’d like to see it, so we’ve been trying to keep him awake and
eating. For a few weeks there in early December we were losing the
battle and he was sleeping like it was going out of style. In the last
week or so, however, he’s perked up quite a bit. Yesterday and today,
he was stomping around his box, trying to get out. We put him on the
kitchen floor for a while, and he proceeded to try and make good his
escape (into the bedroom). He just doesn’t seem to grasp the concept
that it is really cold outside for a tortoise right now and that his
demands to be let outside cannot be granted.
The holidays did not interrupt the Bush/Cheney administration’s march to
war with Iraq. Troops and equipment continue to pour into the Persian
Gulf. Of course, if you believe the current Administration, all of
this is “just in case.” Right…
I’d respect the Administration more if they weren’t lying to the American
public about Administration’s ultimate intentions and plans. Are there
three people in America who honestly believe that Bush/Cheney does not want
a war with Iraq? If Bush/Cheney would just come right out and
say: “Hey, our kids are not on the front lines, nobody we know
has kids on the front lines, and our buddies and cronies stand to profit
from a war with Iraq. Bush’s Daddy wants to see Hussein shot.
Dick likes to run a war (he ran the Panama invasion and the Gulf War).
Bush likes the idea of being a wartime President. Chasing bin Ladin is
tough work and we’d like to distract the public from the fact that we’ve had
no luck with that so far. So, given all of that, we’re going to invade
Iraq. Any questions?” I still wouldn’t agree with the
decision, but at least the Administration couldn’t be faulted for playing
the public as fools.
Sarah and I decided that we would buy a new television this year instead
of buying each other Christmas gifts. Our old television was, quite
literally, old enough to vote (hopefully, it wouldn’t vote
Republican). The new television is a significant improvement over the
old one. I did not anticipate how much component video would sharpen
the picture from the DVD player, nor how much sharpness and color was being
lost and distorted by our old television.
Capsule Reviews:
- The
Emperor’s New Clothes: An excellent movie that we saw a short
while ago. Funny, compelling story. Excellent scenery and
acting. - Y tu
mamá también: Spanish with English subtitles. A
sexually charged film. Two Mexican teenage boys and a Spanish woman
set out to reach the ocean from Mexico City. Many things are not what
they seem and many secrets are revealed. A good, surprising film. - Die
Another Day: We saw this a month ago in Cleveland with Sarah’s
family. A decent Bond film, but not necessarily a good film.
Excellent special effects, except for one scene that appears to have ripped
right out of a fifties or sixties surfing movie.